Canadian Crossing

Harper government's 10% budget cut pushes down an already weakened CBC

The Harper government underestimated buying a bunch of F-35 jets by $10 billion. While most of the budget cuts were around 4-5%, the CBC suffered a 10% cut, a savings of $115 million. That Harper, in the first budget with a majority government, put CBC in a deep financial bind came as no surprise. No government enjoys having the CBC snoop around its practices, but the Harper government has shown his disdain for the CBC for some time.

Harper infamously said he gets his news from American sources, not Canadian. No one thought he was talking about CTV or Global. Everyone knew he meant the CBC.

The CBC has been a target by conservatives for a long time. If Americans want to use the analogy of PBS and the United States, well, it's not that simple. Then again, outside of advertising, the CBC relies on the government for funding. While the 10% cut is bad enough, the CBC says the deficit is more like $200 million that includes upgrading costs).

The CBC has said it will run ads on CBC Radio 2 and its French equivalent, Espace Musique. The network, which has been justifiably criticized for running American game shows such as "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," may have to cut back on episodes of its Canadian content or resort to similar showings of American/British programming. If you think things are bad enough now, the network uses profits from Hockey Night in Canada to fund other areas. If CBC loses those hockey rights in 2014, and those rights will likely be reduced or eliminated, the CBC money woes will get much worse.

Conservatives howl that the CBC doesn't spend its money well, and that its goal of running Canadian content isn't worth the money because Canadians watch films and TV from the States.

Criticizing or praising the CBC often gets caught up in only one slice of the CBC pie. Some hate what the TV service does, but love the radio part. Others can hate the radio, but love what the CBC does on TV. Or they love or hate both.

In visiting Canada, I used to be excited about seeing CBC Newsworld. Since the network has dumbed down the news channel to the CBC News Network, the programming isn't as noteworthy. Did they do that because of previous financial problems? Pressure to conform to lower standards for "audience"? As bad as things have been on CBC's news channel, closing foreign bureaus is a likely step with the budget cuts.

The channel does get revenue from two cable channels besides CBC News Network: CBC Bold and CBC Documentary.

CBC Television: The channel runs children's programming commercial-free during the morning. This isn't the best use of the channel financially, but the higher purpose (entertaining and educating children). The network was debating about expanding into a CBC Kids digital channel, but won't right now. Canadian families have to decide whether losing this programming, especially for those without cable is worth it to its society.

The network had cut back for a long time on improving local news, and has only recently put in resources to change that back. The loss of federal money will hurt this effort.

Game shows aren't the only concerns. CBC also runs episodes of "Coronation Street," a long-time British soap opera.

The CBC was already having trouble paying for digital converters for a number of markets in English and French. Again, this is an area where the network could save money long-term if it had the capital to make those moves.

The network has also come under criticism for delving into versions of reality shows: "Dragon's Den" leaps to mind.

The comedies and dramas are criticized for not being funny or entertaining enough. The most successful Canadian program in recent times is "Corner Gas," and that was one of the few Canadian shows on CTV.

Prime-time shows on CBC are at a disadvantage since their seasons end in April due to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

CBC Television is in an odd circumstance. In taking advertising, it competes with CTV, Global, and CityTV, yet unless hockey or the Junos are involved, CBC won't win the ratings race most nights. The commercial networks don't have the restrictions on non-Canadian content, and they air sim subs of U.S. daytime, prime time, and late-night programming.

Since most of the criticism against CBC is on the TV side (other than the conservatives who don't like CBC for a number of alleged bias reasons), let's looks at how we can fix the TV side.

I've never run a TV network, but some of CBC's costs have nothing to do with programming. When the U.S. stations upgraded to digital, some PBS stations struggled with the transition because they didn't the funds to do the digital upgrade. If the Canadian government felt that was important for the good of society (being able to sell off the analog spectrum to raise money), then the government — yes, the Harper government — should help with that project, freeing up money to go to programming.

Instead of installing a new Kids Digital Channel and having to deal with the CRTC, why not take a block out of CBC Dcumentary and run kids programming during the day. Yes, the CBC should have some children's programming on its schedule. But having a commercial-free block on the TV side may not be financially viable.

One solution that would strengthen Canadian content and help Canadians appreciate their culture is to go CBC Classic. Broadcast older episodes of shows that CBC viewers appreciate. The network has threatened to show more prime-time reruns, but why not show old show reruns during the day and to fill other time slots. True, some of those rights would have to be reacquired, but the prestige of the old-school CBC would get a wider audience.

CBC could also fill holes with Canadian movies that don't get much exposure otherwise. The drawback in running movies in prime time is interrupting them with commercials, which audiences are more reluctant to put up with. PBS stations run movies all the time, and while their financing structure is different, the CBC could get sponsorships to offset the cost.

CBC on the TV side lives in a quasi-world where its interests are to run Canadian programming that wouldn't get a shot otherwise while remaining commercially viable. So CBC has to step up and provide good Canadian content and not worry about ratings.

Since this has to be a two-way street, Canadian consumers should have higher standards for CBC and respond accordingly. Yes, it's popular to bash Canadian content, but culture and heritage is important. When PBS and CBC were more "boring," the quality was better. Compromise might work in some circles, but it doesn't work for CBC or PBS. This also means that the CBC News Network needs to return to its former glory.

Figure out a way to make money exporting programming to other countries who might appreciate a Canadian sense of things. CBC America, anyone?

Find a way to let CBC keep some (all?) of the Hockey Night in Canada package. Assuming the Harper government wants the CBC to survive on some level (some conservative MPs wanted way more and deeper cuts), the network needs good sources of revenue. Hockey is one of those sources.

This isn't just a struggle between Harper and the CBC, or conservatives and the CBC, but an ongoing struggle between having a channel that broadcasts the best of Canada without the ongoing pressure of thinking only profits. We've seen in the United States what happens when you weaken its "version" of the CBC. PBS isn't even close to what it was, and neither is the CBC.

Canada's culture — arts, music, film, TV, and so much more — is particularly vulnerable, more than England (BBC) or the United States (PBS). More care needs to be made to let Canadians see and hear the best of what Canada has to offer. If conservatives and others don't want government funding, where do they think the money can be found? Americans would love to have a CBC style of delivery for TV/radio, even the CBC of 2012; the PBS and NPR funding system isn't anything you would wish on your worst enemy.

The best scenario would be a CBC radio and television where quality programming was delivered with little to no waste, a steady stream of reasonable money from the federal government, and a government that gets the hell out of the way. What we have in Canada is a CBC that doesn't know which master to serve, a bit of tunnel vision, and enough consumers who either hate the politics or lack of quality programming. Canadians have to decide if they want a CBC that is ideal or one that sinks further into oblivion. If you lose the CBC, you lose a way to express who you are as Canadians, and a convenient border-crossing friendly extension, showing the United States and elsewhere what Canada is all about (a-boot?).

photo credit: CBC

Saskatoon's The Sheepdogs make Rolling Stone cover

Getting the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine has been a dream even before Dr. Hook devoted a whole song to that goal. Most bands have no shot at stardom, much less the chance to be featured in that treasured fashion, the epitome of success.

So even when the magazine runs a contest where an unknown band gets a chance at that coveted ideal, you still wouldn't think a band from Canada would have a chance, especially one from the prairies.

Well, The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan have won the contest, and yes, will be on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

If the cover was enough, that would be impressive. But the band also gets to cut an album (or whatever the &%$# the kids are calling it these days) with Atlantic Records and have received coverage on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

From listening to and watching The Sheepdogs, you might have thought you were back in the time when people read rock and roll magazines with more fervor than, let's say, the 21st century. Less like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and more The Midnight Special (ask your parents about that).

I first heard The Sheepdogs on a report from CBC radio when the band was part way through the contest. I confess I found the story to be charming, but never entertained that a Canadian band, especially one so different from the current scene, could pull it off.

People have their stereotype of Canadian bands from Rush and Triumph to Neil Young and the Guess Who to Gordon Lightfoot and Anne Murray to Alanis Morrisette and Sarah McLachlan to, yes, Celine Dion.

Well, The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan have put a new spin on what people will think about Canadian music. And you need no other proof than to check out an upcoming cover of Rolling Stone.

Alomar, Gillick, Van Horne: you are Hall of Famers

Roberto Alomar made Toronto Blue Jays history many times in his playing career, though he played for a few other teams. Alomar made history recently by being the first Blue Jay to have his number retired (#12), and now he is the first Hall of Famer with a Toronto Blue Jays cap.

If Dave Van Horne wore a cap in his Hall of Fame induction, he would certainly go in as a Montréal Expo. The long-time broadcaster, now with the Florida Marlins, won the Ford C. Frick Award, his ticket into the Hall of Fame. Van Horne covered Expos games on radio and TV from the team's inception in 1969 until 2000. In fact, the 2000 season was broadcast only on the Internet since Expos owner Jeffrey Loria (and Van Horne's current boss) refused to put the games on radio. The ultimate podcast.

Van Horne actually went into the Hall in a ceremony on Saturday afternoon. The effort is to streamline the Sunday ceremony. But given how few chances (Gary Carter, Andre Dawson) Expos fans have had to beam about the Hall of Fame, and Montréal is one of the closest major league cities to Cooperstown, the move was bittersweet.

Pat Gillick would have also gone in as a Toronto Blue Jay if that was an option. And Gillick brought in Alomar and Joe Carter in a big trade. Toronto gave up Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, a lot of talent in itself, but got back tools to win back-to-back World Series in 1992 and 1993.

The following are relevant highlights from the induction speeches of the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies over the weekend.

Dave Van Horne

"Being an American, I was new to Montréal. But how could you not be moved hearing 'O Canada' for the first time in a major league ballpark. To look through my binoculars and see tears streaming down the faces of Charles Bronfman, the owner, and Mayor Jean Drapeau of Montréal, seated in the box seats. It was obvious to me what that moment meant to all of Canada."

Pat Gillick

"Thank you, you guys from Canada for coming, it's pretty special. ... By that time, Doris and I had a daughter and we lived outside Atlanta, and when the call came to consider working for an expansion club in Toronto, we thought it would be a great new challenge, except that it ended up living 30 years in that beautiful Canadian city. For a baseball person, it was a dream come true. Imagine being able to build a team from scratch in a city where everyone was excited about finally having a major league team. ... April in Toronto, playing in Exhibition Stadium on the shore of Lake Ontario I can assure you was not a walk in the park, but it was baseball, it was exciting and new and a family affair. ... We want to thank our friends that have come from all over the United States, Canada and Latin America to honor me with their presence on this day."

Roberto Alomar

"I want to congratulate my fellow 2011 inductees, Bert Blyleven, Pat Gillick who brought me to Toronto and gave me the chance to win two World Series. Thank you, Pat, I appreciate that. Thank you. And I'm very proud to be able to share this moment with you both. ... And I would like to say a special thank to Cito Gaston. Cito, I know you're watching. I know you're not here today, but I want to say thank you for teaching me how to be a professional. You have taught me so much throughout my career and for that I am extremely grateful. I have so much respect for you as a manager and as a person. Thank you, thank you, Cito Gaston. ... And especially, to all the Toronto Blue Jay fans as well the entire organization, thank you for your loyalty and support. My time in Toronto was the best of my career. It was with Toronto that we won two World Series together. You guys embraced me from day one. You were with me through ups and downs and I am so proud to represent you here in Cooperstown as the first Toronto Blue Jay inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Thank you, thank you. So thank you for sharing this incredible moment in my life with me. I consider the Toronto Blue Jays organization an extension of my own family. I especially want to thank a person that to me means a lot, Mr. Paul Beeston. Paul, you are like a second father to me. Thank you for everything you have done for me. You are so valued in my heart. Thank you, Paul. ... And in closing, I would like to say to my family, to my fans, to all the Puerto Rican people and Canadians and the game of baseball, you are and will always be my life and my love."

Blue Jays, Rogers Centre share spotlight with Canadian ads on MLB Extra Innings

Rogers Centre and the Toronto Blue Jays looked marvelous, especially in HD, on the MLB Extra Innings free preview for the second half of the baseball season. As for the other Canadian content, the commercials, our view was a lot more limited.

MLB Extra Innings has a practice of covering the first ad in the break during the preview to promote itself. Understandable. Unfortunately, they added promos for Movies on Demand, a collection of films that you didn't want to see in the theatres the first time, such as The Lincoln Lawyer, as well as WWE pay-per-view teasers. Yawn.

Rogers Sportsnet, which also owns the Blue Jays, spent some of that commercial time promoting the Rogers Cup, an exhibition of female tennis players and retired males stars. Double yawn.

The initial telecast on July 14 was 80s night at Rogers Centre: the visible signs were the hairdos and clothes of fans in the stands. The subtle touch came from Rogers Sportsnet deciding to use the graphics and technical production of the 1980s in its telecast. If Thursday was the first game you had watched from Rogers Sportsnet in a while, or ever, you might have thought the production values were lousy. The next night, the graphics were much better, especially for 21st century eyes.

 

Speaking of bringing back things we hadn't seen in a while, McRib is back in McDonald's in Canada. The spot went with a 60s style R&B song, lamenting how something had been missed and now it was back, just like the McRib (wink, wink).

The food may not be that much different on the Canadian side of the border, but the Canadian McD's ads are more pleasant to watch.

American movies dominate the Canadian landscape, much to the chagrin of fans of Canadian cinema (yours truly included). So promos for "Friends with Benefits" didn't feel out of place on the Blue Jays telecasts. What was surprising was the scenes picked for the Canadian trailer were more risque than the American version.

No reason to think the lines would be different in the actual movie, just the lines picked for the trailer. In one scene, Mila Kunis' character asks, "Why don't they ever make a movie about what happens after the big kiss?" Justin Timberlake's character responds, "They do. It's called porn."

In another scene, in a word association about what they like about the other, Justin Timberlake's character mentions her breasts. "Really. I think they're so tiny," says Mila Kunis' character. "Still breasts," responds Justin Timberlake's character.

Taco Bell has a new campaign in Canada called "Burger Backlash," a campaign that paints a Big Brother mentality of having a burger-dominated world instead of really cheap Mexican food.

 

Molson Canadian has a Red Leaf Project to plant 100,000 trees. Americans aren't used to a beer commercial trying to benefit the Earth, so this was a nice change of pace.

Rogers also owns City TV, an over-the-air network, and so we got promos for Canada's Got Talent, an obvious spinoff of America's Got Talent. A new spot for Nabob coffee that in the spirit of past spots spends its time telling us how awesome it is in a condescending manner. Maybe Nabob is really good, but the hype doesn't always lead to a quality product.

We saw an ad for Vector cereal from Kellogg's that offers 13 g of protein and 22 vitamins and minerals. This cereal is aimed at athletes: "To get that good out, it helps to put that good in."

Stride Spark gum also is fortified, this time with vitamins B6 and B12. Can't imagine that gum would give you that much vitamin-wise.

The Cialis ad we've seen before made a return. The Spicy Mama burger from A&W got some publicity. The old guys from TD Bank were back.

Tim Horton's didn't make an appearance until the last game in the series, and only then we heard about the fruit smoothies. Food dominated the final day with Second Cup chillers, Swiss Chalet ribs, Boston Pizza (got its name back after the Stanley Cup finals), and Marc Angelo sausage. The piece de resistance was the Arby's Steakhouse Sandwich, "freshly sliced Canadian seasoned beef, melted Swiss, crispy onions, peppercorn sauce on a toasted ciabatta bun."

Though the Blue Jays are based in Toronto, MLB Extra Innings took the feed from Rogers Sportsnet West. RSN West is defined from Alberta through Saskatchewan to Manitoba. Even then, local commercials are pretty scarce. But in extra innings, we heard from 92 CITI FM Classic Rock.

Turns out CITI rocks out in Winnipeg, though you wouldn't know that the station is from Winnipeg from the commercial. Assuming I get to Winnipeg, that will be good information to know.

Oh, and CITI FM, Rogers Sportsnet, and the Toronto Blue Jays have one thing in common: all owned by Rogers.

 

CBC promotes 'Vote Compass' to see where voters fall among country's parties

Having covered both U.S. and Canadian politics over the years, you run across a bunch of different tools to gauge voter interest in [insert year] upcoming election. So when the CBC promoted its "Vote Compass," I thought it would be fun, but didn't much more past that.

I have been monitoring The World at 6 in addition to The World This Weekend lately during the Canadian federal election, and so I have heard their persistent promotion. "Alright, already, I'll give it a try."

Now, when I normally do these, I try to be as accurate as I can to my personal life, i.e., not lie about demographic information. Unfortunately, I had to pretend I was from Canada to participate. I considered myself a resident of Ontario, since that is where I have spent the most time within Canada, and picked Trinity-Spadina for my riding.

There are about 30 questions on a 5-pt. scale plus an "I don't know" option. The questions range from foreign policy to immigration to social issues.

Once you finish answering the questions, your positions are plotted on a chart amidst the five major parties in Canada. I won't say where mine ended up since not living in Canada would throw the numbers off. In the CBC promos, the theme is that you might be surprised as to how the results turn out. I was a little surprised.

Would this work well in the United States? If we had more than two major parties, there is a chance that this would work. Americans might be better off with political icons as targets, such as Paul Simon (socially liberal, fiscally conservative), Richard Lugar (Republican, but not extreme), and Joe Lieberman (conservative on defense, liberal in other ways, and mixed up overall).

The better question is how Vote Compass helps Canadian citizens. Does an online survey help you figure out which party is best-suited. Seems like Canadians switch between parties more often in voting than Americans do, but that is more anecdotal than research-proven.

If my Canadian readers have taken the Vote Compass quiz, let us know in the comments section. Or if you didn't try it, let us know why. I live in the States, and have seen quite a few TV promos for the quiz, via Hockey Night in Canada, so I can imagine that people might be sick of hearing about it.

C-SPAN 3 to carry Canadian leaders English language debate

If your cable system carries C-SPAN 3, you can watch/tape the English language Canadian debate. The debate runs from 7-9 pm EDT; C-SPAN will carry the combined feed that will go out from CBC, CTV, and Global, among others, that will carry the debate in Canada.

The debate will have the leaders of the four parties that have seats in the House of Commons, but will not feature Elizabeth May, head of the Green Party. The broadcast consortium that runs the debates decided not to have her on, though May was in the 2008 debate. One key factor is that the Greens had seats in the House in 2008, but not now.

The French language debate was scheduled for Thursday, but the Montréal Canadiens begin their Stanley Cup playoff run on Thursday. So all the parties involved, including the TV people, agreed to move the debate up to Wednesday. The debate will run from 8p-10p EDT, just before Canada's other playoff team, the Vancouver Canucks, take to the ice. Don't think C-SPAN will carry the French language debate, but you never know.

If you don't get C-SPAN 3 or otherwise can't watch it — and you don't live near the border to watch CBC, CTV, or Global — CBC Radio One will carry the debate live. And you can access the feed via your computer at http://www.cbc.ca/radio/. You can definitely listen live, but we aren't sure whether there will be an archive online of the broadcast. If you can't listen live, check back after awhile to that CBC link or if the debate is available on podcast, you can always go to http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/.

And if those options won't work for you, we will have coverage and analysis of the debate right here at CanadianCrossing.com.

Duke Snider had two Montréal connections

Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider passed away earlier this week at the age of 84. Snider excelled as the center fielder in New York that shared the spotlight with Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle.

The Terry Cashman song lyric "Willie, Mickey, and the Duke" exemplified the significance of three majestic center fielders in the same geographic area.

Snider's Canadian roots came before his days as a Brooklyn Dodger and after his playing career. The Montréal Royals were Brooklyn's top farm team, and Snider played there (as a teammate of Jackie Robinson) as a Royal before both players made their Brooklyn debuts in 1947.

There is a statue of Robinson outside Olympic Stadium in Montréal.

Snider was a broadcaster for the Montréal Expos between 1973-1986, doing analysis and play-by-play for Expos radio and TV, working often from Hall of Fame-elect Dave Van Horne (right, in picture). This summer, Van Horne will certainly acknowledge the Duke in his acceptance speech.

Snider followed in the footsteps of his Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Don Drysdale, as Drysdale was a Montréal Expos announcer in 1970-1971. Ironically, Drysdale was a member of the Dodgers crew when he died of a heart attack in 1993 while in Montréal when the Dodgers were in town.

Photo credit: AP

Dave Van Horne, longtime Expos announcer, gets into Hall of Fame

Alongside his soon-to-be fellow Montréal Expos Hall of Famers — Gary Carter and Andre Dawson — is someone who called their games while they played for the rouge, blanc, et bleu.

Dave Van Horne, who called Montréal Expos from their inception in 1969 through the 2000 season, is the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, essentially voting him into the Hall of Fame.

Van Horne has served as the Florida Marlins voice since then, but if announcers get a cap, Van Horne will absolutely go in as an Expo. Ironically, Van Horne broadcast the last Expos game in Montréal as a Marlins announcer in 2004.

Van Horne covered the games on radio and TV, including back in the days when the CBC would carry les Expos.

Van Horne described his favorite Expos moments in a radio interview: first Expos game at Shea Stadium, Bill Stoneman's no-hitter in 1969, Dennis Martinez perfect game, play from late 1970s and early 1980s, working with Duke Snider in the broadcast booth.

Not that it should be why fans remember Van Horne, but the story needs to be told as to why Van Horne left the Expos before the 2001 season.

Jeffrey Loria (now Van Horne's boss in Florida) refused to negotiate a English radio contract for the 2000 Montréal Expos, an unheard of practice in MLB since games were first on radio. Van Horne broadcast the games on the Internet for the 2000 season.

The Expos didn't finally find an English outlet — CKGM — until May 2001. Understandably, Van Horne left for the Marlins before then.

Congratulations to Dave Van Horne for the highest honor. And Toronto Blue Jays fans want Tom Cheek to make it as well. Unfortunately, Cheek passed away too soon, but his years as the primary Toronto baseball voice should lead down the road to the Hall of Fame.

Van Horne will be joined on stage next summer by former Toronto Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick, also elected to the Hall of Fame. Gillick was instrumental in pulling off several major deals and signings that led the Blue Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.

picture credit

Canadians can still get analog while U.S. goes digital for TV

If you are one of those people who have chosen not to get a converter box or buy a TV with a digital tuner, and you live near the Canadian border, you may have more television options. The U.S. went all-digital at midnight last night, but the deadline for Canada isn't until August 31, 2011.

For the next two years, you can still receive over-the-air analog signals from Canadian TV stations. Since analog signals travel farther than digital signals, some along the border may not be able to get those signals once the transition takes place.

In summertime, on occasion, TV signals travel farther than normal, allowing people to get TV signals they otherwise wouldn't get under normal circumstances. So this summer might be brighter for those who live near the Canadian border.

One other old-time tradition Canadians will still be able to do than Americans can't is get the audio from television (channels 2-13) on certain radios. For those who have enjoyed this practice, you can't do it for U.S. stations, but you will be able to do so from Canadian stations until August 31, 2011.

Billy Bob Thornton questions Canadian blandness in bizarre radio interview

There are celebrity-related Canada stories that occasional hit the news, mostly in a bystander fashion. But this time, Canada was more involved in one of the more famous videos recently.

Billy Bob Thornton, known mostly for his acting, is also a musician. But Jian Ghomeshi on CBC radio, host of "Q," mentioned the acting when introducing the Boxmasters. Ghomeshi didn't ask a single question about the acting, but just mentioning the acting in the intro put Thornton in a less than benevolent mood.

Ghomeshi explained that the intro was meant to place the interest in the band in context. From the interview, he is asking music questions to the band. The other band members give answers, but Thornton's answers were nonsensical.

Describing it doesn't do it justice, see the video at the top.

While Canadians are known for being pretty laid-back, there was the cheap shot Thornton tossed at them.

"Canadian audiences seem to be very reserved," he said. "We tend to play places where people throw things at each other. Here, they just sort of sit there. And it doesn't matter what you say to 'em. ... It's mashed potatoes but no gravy."

Other actors who are in bands seem to be able to take all of this within context, e.g., Kevin Bacon and the Bacon Brothers. Heck, the late John Belushi and Canada's Dan Aykroyd combined the two in "Blues Brothers."

Whatever insanity Thornton thought about the host, there wasn't a need to take it out on Canadians who are willing to give the Boxmasters a chance. That is more than Thornton is giving Canadians.

UPDATE: Later, Thornton claimed the "mashed potatoes" remark was about Ghomesh, but clearly from the original comments, Thornton was referring to Canadians. The Boxmasters have canceled their Canadian dates after the first show, where the band received catcalls about "Here comes the gravy."

In this video clip, Thornton is asked by a female fan to "sign her gravy."

Not that the other band members deserved it, but clearly Thornton got his lumps, gravy or otherwise.